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Open Source

Open Source was a citywide exhibition that brought 14 extraordinary artists from around the world to Philadelphia. They worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia and guest curator Pedro Alonzo to create a new series of public artworks that explore and illuminate Philadelphia’s diverse urban identity.

The Artists

The Dufala Brothers (Philadelphia, PA)

With projects like Funeral For a Home and their infamousToilet Tricycle Race, the Dufala Brothers have made a name for themselves as two of the most exciting young artists in Philadelphia.

Shepard Fairey (Los Angeles, CA)

Celebrated as the creator of the OBEY GIANT art campaign and clothing company, the Andre the Giant has a Posse sticker, and the Obama HOPE poster, Shepard Fairey's work has become some of the most ubiquitous iconography of any living artist.

JR (Paris, France)

For 15 years, JR has wheatpasted his distinctive black and white photographs on streets from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. Since winning the TED Prize in 2011, he has become an international icon for the next generation of street art, muralism, and social advocacy through art.

Ernel Martinez & Keir Johnston (Philadelphia, PA)

As members of Amber Art & Design, Ernel Martinez and Keir Johnston have left their mark on Philadelphia through a series of beloved murals and public art installations. If you know Philadelphia, chances are you know a mural by Martinez or Johnston too.

MOMO (New Orleans, LA)

Widely regarded as the standard-bearer for abstraction in street art, MOMO has since transitioned into creating large-scale murals in countries all over the world, including as a perennial participant in Italy's legendary FAME Festival.

Jonathan Monk (England, UK)

British artist Jonathan Monk’s conceptual practice simultaneously challenges and pays homage to the greats of contemporary art through wit, ingenuity, and irreverence. Using wall paintings, ephemeral sculpture, and photography, Monk reflects on trends of contemporary art while demystifying its processes.

Odili Donald Odita (Philadelphia, PA)

Nigerian born, Philadelphia-based artist Odili Donald Odita's murals and installations are recognized the world over for exploring color both in the figurative art historical context and in the sociopolitical sense.

Michelle Angela Ortiz (Philadelphia, PA)

Michelle Angela Ortiz is a visual artist, muralist, and community arts educator based in Philadelphia. Her richly crafted, emotive imagery claims and transforms “blighted” spaces, producing visual affirmations that reveal the strength and spirit of the community.

Jennie Shanker (Philadelphia, PA)

Jennie Shanker, a founding member of Philadelphia’s Vox Populi Gallery and a professor at the Tyler School of Art, is known throughout Pennsylvania for using art to bring nuanced conversations to tough issues like fracking, the criminal justice system, and now urban development.

Shinique Smith (Catskills, NY)

Shinique Smith has built an international reputation for bridging the gaps between art education and contemporary art, art and craft, painting and fashion, and public art and canvases.

Swoon (New York, NY)

From her start as a young activist and street artist in New York City, Swoon has found her way into major museums such as MoMA and the Brooklyn Museum, all while developing a unique model to combine her public art, activism, charity work, and studio practice.

Heeseop Yoon (New York, NY)

Heeseop Yoon is best known for her unique style of working with black tape like it is paint or ink.

More about Open Source

Inspired by the co-creative principles of open source platforms, Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Open Source was a month-long, citywide celebration of innovation. A response to major public art events like Miami’s Wynwood Walls, Prospect New Orleans, Germany’s documenta, and the myriad street festivals injecting creative energy into cities around the globe, Open Sourceadvanced worldwide recognition of Philadelphia as a culturally innovative and global city.

Curated by Pedro Alonzo, the 14 projects of Open Source reveal aspects of Philadelphia’s unique urban identity. Open Source encouraged artists to engage in community-centered explorations, addressing a variety of topics, including immigration, recycling, mass incarceration, the environment, community reinvestment, and displacement—all of which inform Mural Arts’ long-term artistic and social practice.

Unexpected and profound, these collaborations ignited conversations about innovation, social change, and public space. It’s a response to the incredible outpouring of thought and creativity generated by Philadelphians, a response to the depth of feeling and pride that we have in seeing our city grow and excel.

related to Open Source

Curated by Pedro Alonzo

Pedro Alonzo is a Boston-based independent curator. Currently an adjunct curator at Dallas Contemporary, he was formerly an adjunct curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston (2011–13) and the Institute of Visual Arts, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (1996–2002). Since 2006, he has specialized in producing exhibitions that transcend the boundaries of the museum walls and spill out onto the urban landscape. In 2013, Alonzo organized the first solo museum exhibition for the French artist JR, winner of the 2011 Ted Prize, at the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati and Dallas Contemporary. At the ICA/Boston, he curated Os Gêmeos (2012), Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand (2009) and Dr. Lakra (2010). He also curated Viva la Revolución: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape (2010) at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and Generations UsA (2007) at the Pinchuk Arte Centre in Kiev, Ukraine.